Coventry boss furious with players for breaking rule despite 3-0 win: 'I'm going to kill them'

Coventry pair Milan van Ewijk and Brandon Thomas-Asante risked the wrath of their manager when they played rock, paper, scissors to decide who took a late free-kick.

The Sky Blues eased to a 3-0 success over Blackburn on Tuesday night, but with the score at 2-0 the hosts got a late set piece on the box. There was a debate over who should take it and the duo decided to play an old school game to make a decision.

Van Ewijk won out and curled his effort straight at the keeper before turning away with a smile. Four minutes later and Thomas-Asante added a third as Coventry landed just a second win of the season to steer themselves clear of the relegation zone.

Manager Mark Robins, who led the Sky Blues to the semi-finals of the FA Cup last term, said after the win: “We were looking for a performance - and it was a big performance. We played really well, but I think we’ve played well in a number of games this season. I knew they were going to give a really performance and that’s exactly what we got."

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Last season though Robins made his feelings clear when it comes to players deciding who takes set pieces like free-kicks and penalties. A major flashpoint came during a win over Millwall back in February as Callum O’Hare and Haji Wright debated over a penalty.

The duo decided to use rock, paper, scissors to make the call with Wright coming out on top before slotting home to level the contest. "Luckily, I won the game of rock-paper-scissors," he joked. "I went for rock! I had a little delay in my throw, but it is what it is.”

Coventry went on to find a winner but Robins couldn't believe the two players had used that method to arrive at a decision as his frustration and anger became evident.

He said: “Rock paper scissors? I’m going to kill them. For me, it’s about who’s confident to take the penalty. Now, Callum’s confident, Haji was a regular penalty taker in Turkey [with Antalyaspor], so I’ve got no problem and then if I get involved with that then it obviously puts doubt in somebody’s head.

“So, let them sort it out and if they miss it then they’re in trouble, aren’t they, but thankfully they’ve got the wherewithal and the calm heads to deal with that situation. The good thing is they both want to score, they both want to take the penalty, they both want to get on the scoresheet."

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